AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Special Teams Propel Griffins to 4-1 Win at Lake Erie

Published on February 8, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


CLEVELAND - The Grand Rapids Griffins scored three power play goals and a shorthanded tally to defeat the Lake Erie Monsters 4-1 Friday night at the Quicken Loans Arena and earn their second straight road win, while Darren McCarty earned an assist and third-star honors during his Griffins debut.

Griffins fans throughout the state of Michigan will be able to watch McCarty's second game with Grand Rapids during Saturday's rematch against the Monsters, as the game will be televised on Comcast Local at 7:30 p.m.

McCarty made his presence known right from the start of the game when he leveled Darcy Campbell with a huge hit behind the Lake Erie net during his first shift, before winning a face off to assist on the first goal of the contest just minutes later.

That goal came from Mark Hartigan during a power play at 4:08 of the opening period as he blasted a slap shot over Mike Wall's shoulder from the top of the right circle. Josef Fojtik also notched an assist on the goal, counting for his first point as a Griffin.

Strong penalty killing gave the Griffins a 2-0 lead at 6:12, as Mark Cullen forced a turnover at center ice and sent the puck ahead to Carl Corazzini, who skated in all alone and scored a the shorthanded tally by threading the puck between the goaltender's pads.

Lake Erie cut Grand Rapids' lead to one at 3:34 of the second frame when Michael Vernace set up Jamie Lundmark in the right circle for a shot into the upper left corner past Jimmy Howard during a power play.

The Griffins restored a two-goal lead at 17:15, capitalizing on their second straight power play attempt when Cullen sent a shot towards the net from along the right boards that somehow found its way in, giving the visitors a 3-1 lead at intermission.

Grand Rapids matched a season-high by scoring its third power play goal at 5:16 of the final stanza during a 5-on-3 advantage, capping off a night in which the power play unit converted on three of five attempts. Garrett Stafford sent the puck to the right side of the net for Corazzini, who one-timed a pass through the goal mouth for Cullen to snap past Wall from the back door, giving him two goals and three points on the evening.

Howard finished the game with 29 saves and was awarded second-star honors while Wall finished with 28 stops.

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from February 8, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central